Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie

10 reviews

ijustreallyliketrees's review against another edition

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mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Requires a heavy suspension of disbelief but liked the main characters. Lots of casual rascism typical of the time period it was written in.
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karen_vandyne's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

Not one of her best

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l0v3lu's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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drippingchiffon's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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dontwantausername's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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sandralaurentino's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

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prashiie's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

“After all, that was what one came abroad for - to see all these peculiar things one reads about in books.”

This book starts in Bulawayo. It is the second time Agatha Christie writes about this location.
Anthony Cade is asked to bring the memoirs of Count Stylptitch and to return some letters to Virginia Revel. The Comrades of the Red Hand as well as the Loyalist Party are trying to get the memoirs from Cade. On top of all that, he also finds himself in the middle of a murder mystery.

The story was a bit confusing because I found it hard to separate the Comrades of the Red Hand from the Loyalist Party. But still found it an entertaining book. One thing I found disturbing is how some characters talked about black people.
“Merciful God in heaven! He has married a black woman in Africa! Come, come, it’s not so bad as all that. She’s white enough - white all through, bless her.”
I mean, this was written in 1925, so we cannot really judge that time by our current standards. But reading it was still quiet disturbing. 

“It’s awful, but I never really look at them properly.”
The servants and the so-called "lesser" people are usually ignored. Nobody really notices them, which gives them anonymity. In this case, Varaga took advantage of that.



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bookwards's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This is the last Agatha I read when I was poorly and it is such a romp. It has it all lords, ladies, princes, policemen, spies, blackmail, adventurers, government officials, communists. There is a lot of love for the gentry which can be a bit hard to swallow and the frequent and nasty xenophobia when describing any 'foreigner' is pretty horrendous to say the least, but the main characters are clearly drawn and compelling and the convoluted plot is a real page-turner. I especially enjoyed the reluctant host who kept bring interrupted before breakfast to his deep chagrin by the pompous politician George as well as the ever charming Virginia Revel. Don't look at the plot too closely and just enjoy being swept along for the ride. 
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jdavesphd's review against another edition

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sunny_not's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.25

Mostly I hated it it was quite racist and xenophobic. Also it was a lot more slower than her other books and I felt super bored at places. I was thinking of giving it 2.75 since I started to like the book towards the end however
anthony's
remark about being married to a white woman rather than a black woman since he hadn't lowered himself that much??????? was so awful and racist and I hated it so so so so much. I think Agatha Christie's later books might not be for me since they are full of these kinds of things and I'm also not interested in spies and conspiracies. However since I had picked some of her other books I will read them too I guess. 
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